Many baked goods, such as rolls, cookies, pizzas, etc., are baked on cookware or bakeware. The bakeware can be flat, such as a baking sheet, or can be shaped, such as bakeware containing domed portions or cavities. Conventional cookware and bakeware articles have been made from metals. For example, aluminum, copper, cast iron and stainless steel have all been used to produce the above described articles. Unfortunately, food stuffs have a tendency to stick to metal surfaces. To remedy this problem, modern metal cooking pans and baking pans are frequently coated with a substance that minimizes the possibility of food sticking to the surface of the utensil. Coatings that have been used in the past include, for instance, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or silicone. Although these coatings can deliver non-stick properties, they have a tendency to break down, peel off and degrade over time requiring either replacement or periodic recoating of the metal cookware and bakeware. In addition, metal bakeware also tends to be relatively heavy and can corrode. Metal bakeware can also product loud and noisy sounds when handled.
In the past, the use of non-metallic materials has been investigated for cookware and bakeware articles. For example, wholly aromatic polyester resins have been tried that inherently possess good anti-stick properties. Although various advantages and benefits can be obtained by constructing cookware and bakeware from such polymers, various drawbacks still remain. For instance, in the past, the cookware that contained aromatic liquid crystal polymers was formed through an injection molding process. Although injection molding is an effective way for producing some cookware articles, it is generally not satisfactory for producing cookware articles having a large surface area in relation to thickness. Injection molding planar structures, for instance, can lead to tensions in the molded part due to the processing speed. For example, when filling large and relatively thin-walled molds, high injection pressures are required that unavoidably create residual stress that causes warpage or the formation of blisters. Attempts have been made to reduce stress by using multiple injection points on the mold, but this can create seams that form weak points in the article.
As such, a need currently exists for an improved technique for forming thin articles, such as those used in cookware or bakeware.